Heat exchanger



Oct. 28, 1930. J. P. RATHBUN HEAT EXCHANGER Filed Oct. 18, 1927 INVENTOR J- RRnThbun WITNESS ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 28, 1930 -JOHN r. narnnmv, on MOORES, rn vlvsvnva irmassrenon 'ro wns'rnverrousn arserare & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A oonronerroiror PENNSYLVANIA s HEAT EXCHANGER'Y.

. Application filed October 18, 1927. seriarlto; 226,971.

My finvention" relates'to tubular heatexchangers, such as surface condensers, tubular heaters,-orcoolers, and it hasfor an object, to improve the construction of a'pparatusof this-ciaracter; r 7 v. The exterior surfaces of the'tubes, of a device of the type described, become fouled more or less rapidly, depending on the conditions of service. F or instance,-in oil heaters such as are used in oil refining, rather frequent, periodic cleaning is required. There are also many other' classes of service in which the outer surfaces of the tubes-must 'form'ai'ice is to bejobtained. v

-With the devices of the prior art, so far as I am aware,=itis necessary to remove the tube bundle from the shell of the heatexchanger in order to properly clean the outer surfaces- -with movable headers,- so that the tubes may "be rigidly secured in both tube plates.

More particularly, therefore,an object of my invention is to provide a heat exchanger of the type described, in which access may readily be had to the exteriorsofthe tubes for cleaning, or the like, and which shall embody amovable headeriwhich, while be ingsuitable for'various otherheat exchangers, is well adapted to the particular construction of my heat exchanger. 7

Apparatus embodying the'features of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: o. I i

'; Fig. l isa sectional elevation of a heat exchanger; Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken along the line IIII of F ig. 1; V

Fig- 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modifiedform of my invention showing one J method of securing the floating head; .and i Fig. 4'isa view similar to Fig. 3, but showing a stillfurther modified of my inv'ention;

be cleaned quite frequently, if eh'icientperr 16. provided with a'vapor inlet connection 17 longitudinally, and the inlet and outlet ports of the shell, as well as the supporting means thereforg-are arranged on one ofthe separable sections. In this way, itis p'ossibleto. re-

ov the other separablev member, .0r meme bers', and to thusgain accessito the exterior :su'rfaces ofwthetubes; 3 I

Alsoythe movable head is arranged to .be supported from the same shell section which carries-the supportingmeans and which. is provided with {the inlet and "outlet ports. I-Ien'ce, by means the tube nest is of my novel construction,

Re'ferring'now to the drawings, for abetp'roperly supported during; cle'aning periods, as wellas during the opera -tion of the exchanger, I

ter understanding of my inventiom'I show aheater indicated generally at '10, andcoIn-' prising a substantially horizontally disposed tubes'12; The shell 11 is preferablyformed vertical plane'by means ofthe mating flanges One of these sections, as the section lgis and a vapor discharge connection 18, and is also provided with supporting feet 19, for supporting theheater upon any suitablefoundation work. 7

The tubeine'st' 12 is'provide'd with a fixed v tube sheet 21, which is I disposedbetween the shell 11 and the inlet and discharge fluidv box 22. The other end of the shell 11 is pro- Vided with a somewhat extended fiange'23, to

fwhich is secured a suitable cover 24 for closing this end of the shell. end of the shell is a movable tube sheet26,

Disposed at this to which is secured the return'fluid box 27 The pressurein the'return'box 27 is often quite high,'so that incase this box is secured to the tube sheet 2 6' by, means of bolts or the like, it is necessaryto space the bolts fairly .close'together so as to connection.

Inorder tofprovide afluid-tightlcontiection for the movable header-27yan'd 'atrthe same time to provide for "movably su lfl shellll, within which is disposed a nest of I provide a fiuid-tight only, two of such dowel bolts 28 are employed and the fluid box 27 is otherwise secured to the shell 34: to receive the The. baffle 38 is tube sheet 2 by means ofbolt-s or the like (not shown) in a manner well known iii the art. Also, the recesses tion 13 be removed, the tube nest wouldstill be movably supported by the dowels'29 from the section 14. WVhile only two dowel bolts 28 are shown, it will-be obvious that more than twoinay be used, should conditions render this advisable.

Inthe form of my invention shownin Fig. 3, the movableheader 27 is supported in a similar manner, from the section 1 1% of the by ineans of any suitable-number of angle brackets 32, which are. bolted or other.- wisesecured about the periphery of the movable tube sheet-26. The horizontally extending portion 33 of these brackets is slotted as at dowjel 36, which projects inward from the shell. In this way, the braclret's movably supportthe tube nest and bymeans of the pin and slot connection, it is assured that bending stresses will be avoided.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 4 is quite similar to that shown in Fig, 1 with the exception that dowel pins 37 are, 11111118111- stance, mounted upon the flange 23 ofthe section 14 of the shell, and these dowel pins are arranged to extend through holes provided in the tube sheet 26 and in the flange of the return box 27. Inthisform of the in-, vention, the weightof the movable end of the, tube nest is carried by the dowel pins 37, which afford the necessary freedom of movem'ent. w

If desired, the heater may be provided with a bride, such as baflie 38, which extends dia onally through the nest of tubesand s, pre ferably, secured to the respective tube sheets by means of brackets 39. During periods of norm r am my heat -'exchangerfunct1ons in a manner well understood in the art, the circulating media .being passed from the b0 22, through g g I .returnbox 27, whence it is returned, through the nest of tubes 12 to the inlet and discharge j discharge the nest of tubes 12 to the inlet and box. 22, and discharg p heater. Other media, snchas 115.3; or to bee ther heated or cooled, is admitted through the inlet conneotion 1'1 of the shell, and after throughthe nest oftubes it discharged through the outlet connection 18of the bf the conventional type in wmeheeesis mot re. iaro jided 31 are disposed only in the section let of the shell so that, should the sec:

vin'g periods,

the of the tribe, in;;orde1f- ,-to

permit gaseous media to pass from the lower to the upper side of the baffle.

, It will readily be seen that, should it be desired to gain access to theexterior surfaces of the tubes for cleaning or the like, it is merel-y necessary to remove the. section 13 of the shell and that, in so doing, it is not necessary to disturb the connections to the inlet and discharge box 22 or to the inlet and discharge connections 17 and 18, respectively, and-that access may thus be had to the tubes -'vvithout removing the tube bundle from the shell.

T he baffle 38, being secured by means of clips 7 39 to the respectivetube sheets, may be removedafter the shell section 13 is removed. Furthermore, it will be observed that'by providing a shell which is split vertically into the-respective sections13 and 14-, it is assured that anyrefufse or the likewhich may collect in the bottom of the shell, either during cleanor at other times, will fall out of the shell ofits own accord when the se'ctions 13 and Marc separated-,wherfeas ifthe shell were split horizontally, it would be necessary to wash this refuse out of the low-er portionof the shell. Y

' It will thus be seen that I have provided a tubular heatexchang'er in which access may be readily had tothe. tubes for cleaning their outer surfaces with a minimum of inconveni'encer Furthermore, by means, of my novel arrangement for supporting the movabletube sheet andthe returnfiuid box, it is possible to provide amovable header type of heat exchanger with means for readilycleanthe outer surfaces of the tubes.

.,While I have-shown my invention in seve'ralforms, it will be obvious to those skille'd in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other I changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and'I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forthin the appended claims. I

1. A shell fora horizontal heat exchanger of the type described comprising fixed and removable sections-joined longitudinally, the lowerupo'rtio'h's of'said sections being joined along'the lowermostportions of said shell, and means disposed laterally of and connected to saidfix'ed section between the ends of the latter for supporting the entire shell.

2. A device asset forth in claim in which the shell has inlet and outlet portsspaced apart circumferentially and only in said fixedshell seetioii Q.

,3. The combination with a heat eiihh ger comprising a .shellffa nest cruises tire-rem, and tube steel-steam raster besa hiiiiiea er 115M51 t 011;; 3

sea eta statement sea-1511a; thereof,

lOS

llO

means for supporting the dowels from the shell.

4. A horizontal heat exchanger 01": the type described comprising a shell, a nest of tubes within the shell, said shell comprising fixed and removable sections joined longitudinally, the lower portions of said sections being joined along the lowermost portions of the shell and means cooperating only with the fixed shell section for mo-vably supporting one end of the tube nest.

5. A horizontal heat exchanger ofthe type described comprising a shell, a nest of tubes within the shell, said shell comprising sections joined longitudinally, the lowerportions of said sections being joined along the bottom of the shell, means on one of said shell sections providing circumferentially spaced inlet and outlet connections for said shell, and means associated only with said one of said shell sections for movably supporting one end of the tube nest.

6. A device according to claim 5 in which means are provided only on said one of said shell sections for supporting the exchanger.

7. The combination with a horizontal heat exchanger of the type described comprising a shell having a flanged end, a nest of tubes within the shell, and tube platesfor the tubes, ofa return fluid box disposed adjacent one tube plate, and means for securing the return fluid box to said one tube plate and for movably supporting the tube nest and the return fluid box from the flanged end portion of the shell.

8. The combination with a heat exchanger comprising a'shell, a

nest of tubes therein,

and tube plates for the tubes, of a return fluid box disposed adjacent one tube plate, dowel bolts for securing said return box to said one plate, and means providing recesses on sa1d shell for slidably receiving said dowelv bolts.

9. The combination witha horizontal heat exchanger of the type described comprising a shell constituted by fixed and removable sections joined longitudinally along the lower most portions of the shell, a nest of tubes within the shell, tube plates for the tubes, a return fluid box disposedadjacent one tube plate, and means for securing said return fluid box to said one tube plate and for slidably supporting the tube nest and the return fluid box from only the fixed shell section.

10. A device according to claim 9 in which means are provided only on said fixed shell section and laterally thereof and between the ends of the latter for supporting the entire exchanger.

11. A device according to claim 9 in which inlet and outlet connections are provided only in the fixed shell section.

12. In a heat exchange device, the combination of an inlet and outlet water box, a tube nest, plate, and return box unit secured in place with respect to said inlet and outlet 1 entirely from the first semi-cylindricalsecbination of a shell,

water box, a semi-cylindrical shell section secured in place at one end with respect to the inlet and outlet water box, a cover section secured to the other endof the semicylindrical shell section, circumferentially spaced inlet and outlet connections associated with said semi-cylindrical section, a removable semi-cylindrical section secured at its ends to the inlet and outlet water box and to said cover and at its sides to said first semi-cylindrical section, and means for slidably sup porting the end of the tube nest unit remote from the inlet and outlet water box entirely from said first cylindrical shell section.

13. In a heat exchange device, the combination of an inlet .and outlet water box, a tube nest, plate, and return box unit secured in place with respect to'said inlet and outlet water box, a cylindrical shell encompassing said unit and comprising a semi-cylindrical shell section secured in place at one end with respectto the inlet and outlet water box, a

cover section secured to the other end of the semi-cylindrical shell section, inlet and outlet connections circumferentially spaced on said semi-cylindrical section, a removable semi-cylindrical section secured at its'ends to the inlet and outlet water box and to said cover and at its sides to said first semi-cylindrical section, means carried by said first semi-cylindrical section for supporting the entire heat exchange device, and means for supporting the end of the tube nest unit remote from the inlet and" outlet water box tion.

14. In heat exchanger apparatus, the coma nest of tubes disposed within the shell, a tube sheet located at one end of the tube nest and fixedly secured to the shell, a floating tube sheet located at the other end of the tube nest, boxes associated with each tube sheet for circulating fluid through the tube nest, and means including dowels for supporting the floating tube sheet from the shell and providing for movement of said floating tube sheet relative to the shell.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 11th day of October,

' JOHN P. RATHBUN. 

